Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

Scotland's independence leader on how Margaret Thatcher helped Scottish nationalism

Scotland is currently gearing up for an independence referendum scheduled for Sept. 18, 2014. If it passes, independence advocates hope the country could become the world's newest nation as soon as 2016. First Minister Alex Salmond, leader of the...

Published Tue, Apr 09 2013 12:20 PM by FP Passport

The corporations profiting from North Korean belligerence

North Korean aggression is a drain on South Korea's economy, but it's a boon for the defense contractors looking to flood the peninsula with new weapons systems. As Seoul awaits a possible North Korean missile launch this week, the country is...

Published Fri, Apr 12 2013 9:30 AM by FP Passport

Fake fake news: The Iranian time machine

A good rule of thumb for news in the Internet age: If there's a "Ha, ha, silly foreigners" story circulating on the Internet, and if 90 percent of the people writing about it are citing the Telegraph , it's probably mostly fake, or at...

Published Thu, Apr 11 2013 2:30 PM by FP Passport

The strangest thing about Putin's appearance on Finland's secret criminal blacklist

On Wednesday we received the bizarre news that Russian President Vladimir Putin's name had mistakenly ended up on a secret criminal blacklist compiled by Finnish police. Those placed on the list face automatic detainment at the Finnish border and...

Published Thu, Apr 11 2013 3:45 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Russia, Politics, Eastern Europe, International Relations

Actually, John Kerry doesn't have a Chinese counterpart

From April 12 to April 15, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry toured Asia -- discussing North Korea's provocations and meeting with a series of top officials including his Japanese and South Korean counterparts, the foreign ministers of those two...

Published Mon, Apr 15 2013 11:00 AM by FP Passport

What's the government's case against Gitmo's most famous New York Times contributor?

This morning, it was impossible not to feel a pang of sympathy for Samir Naji al Hasan Moqbel, the Guantánamo Bay detainee who described his miserable existence in a column for the New York Times . Moqbel, a 35-year-old Yemeni citizen, has been detained...

Published Mon, Apr 15 2013 2:00 PM by FP Passport

America's flawed Cuba policy: Bey and Jay edition

Last week, Beyonce and Jay-Z, the royal couple of American pop music, made a surprise visit to Cuba to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. Strolling through the streets of Havana, the celebrities were greeted by huge crowds, and Cuban authorities...

Published Tue, Apr 09 2013 4:30 PM by FP Passport

The new frontier in life-tracking devices: human rights

There's the FitBit for fitness fanatics, the Pebble Watch for people who think their cell phones are too big, and Google Glasses for fancy sportsmen or irritating entrepreneurs. And now, there are high-tech life-trackers for human rights activists...

Published Fri, Apr 05 2013 1:10 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Science & Technology, Human Rights, Internet

Morning Brief: Tensions with North cause jitters in South Korean markets

Tensions with North cause jitters in South Korean markets Top news: Senior officials say North Korea has moved two mobile missile launchers to an unknown location in the east of the country, possibly to demonstrate its ability to strike Japan or U.S....

Published Fri, Apr 05 2013 5:34 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

East meets Westeros in Chinese 'Game of Thrones' commercial

With the much-anticipated third season of HBO's Game of Thrones just getting underway, lots of people are rushing to capitalize on the show's roaring success. One of the more bizarre attempts recently surfaced on China's CCTV, which aired...

Published Tue, Apr 02 2013 4:00 PM by FP Passport

Saudi Arabia and Iraq just can't get along

Saudi Arabia and post-Saddam Iraq have never gotten along -- the Saudis have never gotten over the fact that a Shiite government is now running the show in Baghdad. Via Nightwatch , I see that Al-Sharq al-Awsat is reporting that the religious aspect of...

Published Thu, Jan 07 2010 7:30 AM by FP Passport

Last chance to vote in the Global Thinkers survey

We're going to be closing voting on our Top Global Thinkers Survey tomorrow at 12 p.m. Eastern Time. So if you haven't taken the time yet, head over and share your thoughts on the state of the global economy, the world's top security threats...

Published Tue, Dec 08 2009 7:16 AM by FP Passport

The story of how Nawaz Sharif pulled back from nuclear war

On Saturday, Nawaz Sharif swept to victory in Pakistan's parliamentary elections, capping a frantic election season and handing the former prime minister a sufficient number of seats to assemble what is likely to be a far more stable government than...

Published Mon, May 13 2013 6:10 PM by FP Passport

Hezbollah's got a brand new bag

Last week, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah announced his party's new political program -- the first manifesto Hezbollah has released since its infamous Open Letter of 1985. The new document gained attention for its toned down Islamist rhetoric and...

Published Mon, Dec 07 2009 9:10 AM by FP Passport

The best part of Obama's speech today

I thought Obama really nailed his appearance today. This bit was right on: Here at home, we will strengthen our defenses, but we will not succumb to a siege mentality that sacrifices the open society and liberties and values that we cherish as Americans...

Published Thu, Jan 07 2010 4:38 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Security